Appleby Isle of Man is celebrating the addition of two new advocates and the exam success of two trainees as it continues to strengthen its 126 strong team, which now includes more than 30 lawyers and 36 fiduciary staff.

Katherine Johnson joined Appleby as a trainee advocate in 2011 after success at the University of York and the College of Law, York. She was called to the Manx Bar in November 2013 following a two year Period of Articles and achieving a commendation in the Manx Bar exams. Katherine will be based in Appleby’s Corporate & Commercial team and has experience in a broad range of corporate matters, including insurance and regulatory advice, legal due diligence, and corporate restructuring. She has recently returned from a four month secondment in Appleby’s Guernsey office where she strengthened her multi-jurisdictional expertise and worked on a number of banking and asset finance transactions.

Appleby’s Corporate & Commercial practice has also welcomed Alexandra Watterson as an associate after she was called to the Manx Bar in November 2013. Alexandra also joined Appleby as a trainee in 2011 after successfully completing her studies at the University of Leicester and the College of Law, Chester. During her Articles, Alexandra gained experience in a broad range of corporate matters including mergers and acquisitions, fund and financial services, legal due diligence, banking and asset finance transactions and multi-jurisdictional corporate restructuring.

“On behalf of all at Appleby I would like to congratulate both Alexandra and Katherine on their admission to the Isle of Man Bar,” commented Nick Verardi, partner and corporate & commercial practice group head in Appleby (Isle of Man) LLC. He continued: “They have worked extremely hard during their time with the firm and displayed great skills and knowledge. I have no doubt that they will be an excellent addition to our expanding team and I wish them every success during their careers with us.”

Trainee advocates Sophia Wong and Andrew Newton are also celebrating after passing the Manx Bar exams. Both joined Appleby in September 2012 as trainees and are currently completing their Period of Articles. Appleby (Isle of Man) LLC managing partner Sean Dowling said: “Andrew and Sophia should be very proud of their success, which they have both worked hard for. We are delighted to have such talent in our team.”